Flush That Phone

Consider this the next time you make a call: phones have nearly 20 times more germs than a toilet handle.

A recent report in the media suggests that phone handsets, mobile phones and various items of computer equipment are in fact dirtier than inside a men’s toilet.

A test of a number of handsets showed that on average they harboured so much dirt and germs, that they had up to ten times an acceptable level of Total Viable Count (TVC) bacteria.

For those interested, TVC actually means the number of bacteria (excluding Legionella) in a given area, or volume of liquid.

In other words, phone handsets are miniature germ factories and whereas everyone might think twice about handling the toilet flush up close, the phone handset is regarded as an innocent by comparison.

But despite what the media might say, death or serious injury by phone germ inhalation is very rare, although the bugs transmitted could give serious stomach aches and colds. More worryingly, they can act as a breeding ground for a whole lot worse range of illnesses.

The report discovered that one phone tested had nearly 40 times the safe level of a lovely substance called enterobacteria. These live in the intestines of animals, as well as humans. And it’s a grouping which includes the infamous Salmonella bug.

The same handset also had the dubious distinction of having some 170 times the safe level of faecal coliform. These are bugs which are connected with human waste.

The research was conducted by Which? magazine and researcher Ceri Stanaway said:
“Most phones didn't have any immediately harmful bacteria that would make you sick straight away, but they were grubbier than they could be.
The bugs can end up on your hands which is a breeding ground and be passed back to your phone. They can be transferred back and forth and eventually you could catch something nasty. What this shows is how easy it is to come into contact with bacteria. People see toilet flushes as being something dirty to touch, but they have less bacteria than phones.”

So, be careful out there and make sure you occasionally wipe that handset; you know it makes sense!